Oral history interview with Jane Squires, September 21, 2002
Subtitle: interview R-0192, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Mansfield, W. T., interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Auctioneers; Women employees; Tobacco; Marketing; Auctions; Sexism
Other titles: Interview R-0192, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Jane Squires, September 21, 2002; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Jane Squires became a tobacco auctioneer for the United States Department of Agriculture in 1989, following her father into a male-dominated profession. In this interview, she describes her career, from her efforts to establish herself without insinuating herself into its masculine social culture, to the complex mechanics of the tobacco auction. Squires earned acceptance in the profession despite, or perhaps because of, her effort to isolate herself from the men who dominated it, choosing not to stay at hotels used by sellers and buyers at auctions, or socializing only with men who brought their wives. This decision enhanced her image as a professional, and while she still faced challenges on the warehouse floor, she showed auction participants that she was a serious auctioneer. This interview offers a thorough look at tobacco auctioneering as well as insights into one woman's foray into a male-dominated profession.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Nov. 19, 2008).

Interview participants: Jane Squires, interviewee; William Mansfield, interviewer.

Duration: 01:06:01.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 152.2 kilobytes, 120 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series R, Special research projects, interview R-0192, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by William Mansfield. Original transcript: 27 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.